Weep for Iowa

Tags

American History, astronomy, Civil War, crochet, cross stitch, fabric decoupage, founding fathers, ice cream, Italian, pasta, Presidents, quilting, religion, science, Unitarianism, Women's history

Another entry into the Spider Black-White Photography competition. This one is from an amateur Jason Robinette USA. It is such an anomaly in contrasts, the expected tilted back head so common to one who is arising from beneath the water of a pool, the hand placements so very odd. It other worldly in some sense, alien. I wonder if it was spontaneous or staged?

Horrors continue in Iowa. We learn that a boy scout camp was hit by a tornado last night with a loss of life of 4 and upwards of near 50 injured. It is almost beyond comprehension that so much misery is visiting our state. Cedar Rapids has no power, and the 500 year flood plain has been evacuated while the downtown begins to flood. Cresting has not yet even occurred. One can only wait in dejection as things just get worse and worse.

Our friend has has plenty of time to remove all his valuables and appliances from his home. At last check yesterday the waters from the Wapsi were about 40 feet from the house. The Wapsi has I believe crested in Independence which is the last stop before it hits us. Things look bleak. Well water must be boiled in our county if you live on a flood plain. We do not.

Our major concern now is power. It flicked off once yesterday and then went off for about 10 minutes. No sump is worth a dime if the power goes out. At this point, our basement would begin flooding I believe within a hour. That is simply nothing we can do anything about. As power fails on other parts of the grid, more stress is placed upon those still operating.  It has rained fairly steadily since about 6 am. We are now in a lull, and hope that perhaps we have now had the worst of it. Time will tell, but we are told that after today, things will be quite a bit better except for Sunday where rain is still highly likely.

Oh, the Chipotle Chocolate Flourless  Cake is well, HOT. If you make it, I would definitely not add the dash of cayenne suggested. I added a couple of scoops of ice cream and that tempered the heat enough that I could enjoy it, but I’m doubtful I’ll try this little number again. It would be okay I guess for something rather fancy, small pieces with ice cream or whipped with maybe some fresh raspberries for garnish. It definitely is a dish that would cause a good amount of chatter when served.

Let’s see what we can find that takes our minds off the sad state of affairs in my state.

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A lovely owl filet crochet  is offered by Sandi’s Crochet Blog. As always it comes with complete instructions and variations so that you can even cross-stitch it if you wish.

Iowa Public TV has been running a series on the American Presidents. We just finished watching the one on Harry Truman. I didn’t think much of the man after watching it frankly, and even less of his self-centered wife Bess. His adoration for her was slightly disgusting, given that she treated him rather badly in my opinion. American President’s blog  has a nice piece on his courtship of the woman. He was strange and they were a strange couple.

American Revolution Blog  looks again at religion, especially that of Unitarianism in our early colonial period. I believe that John Adams changed from his Puritan roots to the Unitarian church. It’s an excellent read and you shouldn’t miss it.

Okay, so we have been flirting with some recipes that are a bit out there. This one features that chipotle again, this time with blackberries. I thought it made an interesting possibility for summer barbecue. It’s called Chipotle-Blackberry Pulled Pork, and comes to us from Coconut & Lime. It’s a slow cooker recipe, with a long list of ingredients but oh it could be a huge winner!

Free Sample Forager  has Pantene hair product samples available. Vaseline samples as well.

Garrison Keillor  has a piece over at the Salon. This week he weighs in on Barack Obama and the challenges faced by a black man running for the country’s highest office.

Family Style Food  offers a recipe that is anything but Family Style. This is a lovely update of an old favorite. I can assure you that at the moment we actually have a wonderful beautiful ripe tomato of sufficient size, BLT’s are thfirst thing we consider. We gorge on them for a month, at least once a week, until the time has past. Take a look at BLT’s with aoili sauce and on Flatbread.Recipes for all including the flatbread. Oh I am definitely trying this one.

Maggie brings us another of her marvelous bio’s. This time the featured woman is Rebecca Towne Nurse. She arrived with her family in Salem, MA in 1640 and later married a man named Nurse. She was arrested as an elderly woman of 71 as a witch, and even though she had an impeccable history in the town, accusers (who may have had other personal reasons to get her out of the way) prevailed. Although the initial verdict was Not Guilty, the jurors were urged to return and rethink things which they did, and finally provided the Guilty verdict that was desired by some. Read about this sad story at History of American Women.

Niki’s Ventures  has a link to a big bunch of new quilting patterns. This is worth bookmarking if you are a quilter. She lists a very long list of sites which offer free patterns and then gives you a separate list for specific quilt types. An excellent resource. In fact there are several lists, and in total more than 2500 patterns. So this is the best of the best. I’ll add this site to my blogroll for crafts for sure.

The Hubble space telescope continues to show us new parts of our universe in all its splendor. The Coma Cluster contains thousands of Galaxies. Can you imagine what you are viewing here? Millions upon millions of stars and planets. I believe most  are older galaxies, no longer producing much in the way of new stars. It is an impressive wonder.

Did I tell you that I adore ice cream? And I adore cherries especially. They are so expensive here in Iowa. I remember as a kid stopping at a roadside stand on the way up to the lake and buying a quart for 50cents. Now it’s like $3 bucks for a quart. But oh so good to combine the two as Simply Recipes has done for Cherry Ice Cream. Oh did I say it also has chocolate chips? BONUS! And I bet that changes your mind!

Secret Recipe Blog  has a wonderful Olive Garden  entry today. Tortelloni Bologneseis available for the copying. Italian dishes are my super favorite ethnic food with Tex-Mex a close second. Try your hand at this crowd and family pleaser.

A wonderful fabric decoupage nightstands  for you from J Caroline Creative. I picked this up through Tip Junkie  and thank her alot. I can’t vouch for the colors chosen here, which are a little glaring to me, but I this tutorial is worth that and more. If you have a cheap piece of furniture that you would like to redo, this is great! Take a look and save this tutorial as the process can be used on anything I think. I’m now thinking of buying a really cheap chest of drawers just to try this.

If anyone is a Civil War buff or a military history buff, I found a nice site courtesy of World History Blog entitled Wig-Wags. It’s run by a graduate student in the subject so you will get some great information and as I perused it, some really good reviews of books on the subject. Stop by if so inclined.

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 HA!

 

 

 

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“I’m not against half-naked girls – not as often as I’d like to be…” Benny Hill

“TV has brought murder back into the home where it belongs.” – Alfred Hitchcock

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” –Mark Twain

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. –Gandhi

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. – Wayne Gretzky

“Happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got”. – Garth Brooks

“I’m an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house”. – Zsa Zsa Gabor

“Charlie Brown is the one person I identify with. C.B. is such a loser. He wasn’t even the star of his own Halloween special.” — Chris Rock

Finding the Spiritual in H2O

Tags

American History, chicken, Christianity, crochet, cross stitch, Gardening, health, humming bird food, knitting, Native Americans, pasta, Presidents, quilting, religion, salad, science, sewing, Women's issues, Zoology

This was an entry in the 2007 Spider Awards for black and white photography. It is by Matthew Septimus and is entitled “Ganges Bathing.”

It struck me that we are not making anything spiritual of this experience with water. Perhaps that is our failing. Another night of rain, punctuated by sump duty, laying in bed listening to it stop and then just when you felt relief that the storm had passed, the splats upon the skylights began again. This must have happened six or more times, as my grief grew deeper with each teasing interlude interrupted but again with the awful sound. The Contrarian is distressed, and he is the one who usually maintains an optimism that I cannot hold on to. I on the other hand, have made my peace in some respects, surrendering to that which I cannot change.

I think that I composed a very long essay on this experience in my head last night, but truth be told, I have no desire to set it to type today. The effort seems too much, and what hasn’t already been said after all? I remind myself that we are in our home, we have lost little but perhaps the garden, and there is no clear assurance of that. We endure because that is our humanity. Looking back, we will undoubtedly wonder how we did, but during the doing, one simply puts one foot before the other, does the next task at hand, and hopes. Hope is our eternal protection.

I made a pretty little holder for my knitting needles the other day. I guess I should try to figure out how to download and upload pictures and show you. LOL. It’s too insignificant for all that trouble. I made some chicken enchiladas for dinner. I kind of redid a recipe I found, eliminating the canned soup and replacing it with a thickened chicken broth, that I made after poaching the chicken in it. I’ll let you know how it turned out. Alas my cilantro had turned to yuck, so I saw no point in making any fresh salsa. Cilantro is the key I believe. So bottled will do.

Let’s see what crafts and recipes we can find today to brighten up the world.

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Martin’s American History Blog  gives us a nice piece on the Mayflower Compact which influenced to some degree our efforts in constructing our Constitution. Follow the link off his main page and read a most interesting story on the this most important document.

Sandi’s Crochet Blog  has a lot of new entries, so I’m sending you to the from page and you can scroll down. She offers some new patterns, a father’s day tote, a lacy edging, and directions on how to weave in the ends from all those granny squares  when you assemble the pieces. There are only 2 blog entries allowed apparently on these “about” blog platforms so go to the bottom and click on more blogs entries and I think the rest will pop up.

We all know that Thomas Jefferson  was talented as a writer and thinker. He was also an accomplished architect and designed Monticello and the University of Virginia. Read about his contribution to our architectural heritage at American Presidents Blog.

More American history and this focus is on Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Islandas a tolerant haven from the religious intolerance of Plymouth Settlement. That is the common story about Mr. Williams. American Revolution Blog has the story you might not have heard about.

Baking Delights  has her loving Saturday surfing so you can scoot over there and find lots of recipes. I saw  cupcakes, and Asparagus and Cashew Chicken, curries and Thai food, and more. I am definitely returning to check out a couple of these.

Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas  has a cute little post about what kind of gardener you are. A starter, maintainer, or finisher? I’m definitely a starter. I love to plant the darn thing, hate to weed and find it so hot when harvest time comes around because that means lots of work in a hot kitchen. Slip over and read this fun post.

History of American Women  takes a look at the Native Peoples who inhabited the area now known as New Hampshire. It was a surprise to me when I moved to Connecticut several years ago to discover such strange names for the Native American tribes. So much different to me than those I was familiar with from Michigan. And of course their dress and livelihood and housing was also different. We tend I think to think all Native people are the same, the ones we see in our old cowboy and Indian movies. Enjoy her fine post. These are simply wonderful posts and so informative.

I mean, if you want to see what a serious quilter’s stash looks like, go over to  Inspired by Antique Quilts  and be shocked! I mean wow, I have like one small shelf of hers and that’s my entire stash. I don’t know whether to feel economical or sadly behind! It’s an impressive array. One of these days, I’m gonna start a new one, I just can’t decide what! I want to do an applique, a friendship quilt, and a old fashioned nine patch. I can’t do all three at once!

First we got to figure out what kind of gardener we are, now its what kind of crafter we are. Yarn Harlot has a new book out, and Knitting dragonflies got a copy and concluded from reading that there are basically two types of crafters. Depending on which kind you are, will determine what you do I think. I’m not sure which one I am, but I think product. I think the more I think about it, it might explain a lot about me as a crafter.

Okay, quiz onwoolly mamoths! No not really, but I sure didn’t know that there were two distinct groups of them. I thought they were all the same. Live Science  has the story for you.  DNA research has uncovered a lot of new information about these cute creatures. It was long thought that humans were the cause of their demise, but it now seems that one group died out well before humans came on the scene.

I just got interrupted by the Contrarian. He’s feeling a bit more up since the garden, miraculously seems to be doing okay for the most part. He’s putting up the humming bird feeder and I of course forgot the recipe for the sugar water. So, I’m doing a google for the answer. For your information its: a 4:1 ratio 1/4 cup sugar for every cup of water. Boil the water first, and don’t add coloring.

Niki’s Ventures has a baby bib  for you to make and a link to the free pattern. Or try a bird mobile  for a crib or frankly a lot of little nooks. It’s quite inventive I thought.

On Faith has a most interesting topic this week. What does health have to do with faith? Do religions which have an integral health element in their tradition have real benefits to their followers? Mental health results? A provocative idea, with lots of panelist essays and tons of comments. I’ve joined in these discussions a couple of times, and they really are fun.

Another Pasta roundup  at Once upon a Feast. If pasta is your thing, and it sure is mine, there are quite a few entries this week. Salmon, pestos, and one I am going back for, a new Pastitsio. Having eaten in a Greek town setting for years in Detroit, I know my Greek food. The pictures are luscious too, which really is a great incentive to try some of these. There are much more than a dozen here, and they range into all the great cuisines, Asian, Italian, Greek, you name it.

I was utterly taken aback by this next post. It seems a Church has been found in modern day Jordan which may be the earliest Christian church yet found.It dates, unbelievably to the time of between 33CE and 70CE. It is said that 70 followers of Jesus took refuge there from the persecutions in Jerusalem. It sits below the Church of St. Georgeous, reputed until then to be the oldest, at the age of around 230 CE. What is not clear is whether this was a unique occurrence, or a general rule around the various preaching geography. I suspect it is the former. Rogueclassicism brings the story to you.

Well folks, I don’t exactly know what to make of this one. And before you ask, it’s not from The Onion. It’s a legitimate report from Science Daily. It simply reports that golf cart accidents are on the rise. I guess a number of comics could have a lot of fun with this. I’m not one of them alas. Okay, there are some reasonable explanations, but I’m not sharing. Read for yourself! LOL.

The Contrarian does not like curry, and frankly I adore it. My favorite is chicken salad with crunchy veggies, sunflower seeds, grapes and yes curry. Simply Recipes  has another recipe, and it is definitely going on my to-try list. Take a look at Chicken Curry Salad and see what you think.

Threads of Desire  catches us up on her latest work in cross stitch. She just inspires the heck out of me with her beautiful work. Just looking at what she’s working on gives me a lift.

Women of History  posts a look at women and rights. Focusing on Saudi Arabia in 2003 and comparing it to what is happening in Australia is most interesting. Comparing them both the American women and their rights is even more so. I doubt seriously that any gains have occurred in Saudi Arabia in the past five years. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if things have regressed.

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Some silly quotes for you:

Crazy is a relative term in my family!

Procrastinate now, don’t put it off.

“No BLOOD no foul.”

I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Borrow money from pessimists – they don’t expect it back.

The sooner you fall behind the more time you’ll have to catch up.

OK, so what’s the speed of dark?

Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

I intend to live forever — so far, so good.

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

Eat, Craft, Read, Be Merry

Tags

American History, Archaeology, beef, breakfast, cake, chocolate, Civil War, coffeecake, crochet, cross stitch, Desserts, evangelicals, founding fathers, Gardening, geology, History, Presidents, religion, science, soup, Women's history, world history

This is Called “The Threshing Floor” and was done by Diego Rivera in 1904. It is located at the Museum of Diego Rivera in Guanajuanta, Mexico.

The day breaks gloomy as it has been for days now, with little break. We got about two hours of showers yesterday, but after it stopped in mid-late morning, we got no more. So far today, we have gotten none, but as I said, its overcast. The air is thick because there is literally water everywhere, if not on the surface, then just below. Mostly it’s spongy wherever you walk. The dogs lay out, mostly on the porch or some dry place, the cats venture to the their porch as well, nobody wants to walk around much.

The cake by the way, was excellent, moist, and really tasted of root beer. The marbling worked nicely as well. If you make it, make at least a half more of the frosting if you want enough to frost two large layers which this batter does give you. The recipe is over at the old blogger site of the same name. Just put in rootbeer cake in the blogbar search engine and it will pop up for you.

Today I am doing a stir-fry with chicken and various veggies and some rice cellophane noodles for a change of pace.  Just finished the general housework, featuring the living room today. The Contrarian cleaned off the hearth for me, so I’ll address the stove itself tomorrow. I like to oil it down lightly once a year. It just looks so nice and brand new for a while.

Well, lets see what we can find around the arts and crafting world today and see what historical facts pop up.

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Sandi’s Crochet Blog has a lovely looking pattern that really caught my eye. She calls it offset shell. As always she gives you the pattern and gives you the opportunity to use it in both a shawl or a granny square.

American Revolution Blog dissects quite thoroughly a new book by another religious right person determined to turn America into a Christian nation. This time the claim is that George Washington was an orthodox Christian. While he was no doubt a deep believer in God, Washington was very careful about NOT imposing religion on the resultant new Democracy. Read this excellent post and enjoy. If you are interested in this subject, you might want to back track to his original site and pick up the new blog he and others are starting about how the nation was created and the impact of religion on it.

Baking Delights has her Saturday surfing of recipes from around the net that she thinks you might like. I saw a couple that caught my eye, like a strawberry pie that sounds very luscious. Pulled pork is always a summertime favorite as well. Run by and see if you see something that you just have to make before the week is out.

Apparently Dick (Darth Vadar) Cheney made some “joke” about West Virginian natives that was stereotypical in its allusions to intermarriage. While this would usually put it into the political sphere, Catholic Anarchy does a fine job of explaining a good bit about Appalachian life that I thought was quite good. Hope you enjoy learning a bit more about a segment of America that most think they know a lot about.

Belle Boyd is the lady featured on today’s Civil War Womeninstallment. Belle was a lady who came from a family able to send her as a young girl to college, and from there on we learn that she was an ardent Confederate supporter. She killed a Yankee and became a spy for the Confederacy in the war years. She was a fiery person and had a long life after the war, always doing what she wanted, and not necessarily what was conventional. Read more.

Epicurious has great recipes, mostly I suspect because she reads some of the best culinary magazines around. These are both from Bon Appetit and I think both are lovely ideas for the summer season. Chilled Tomato Tarragon Soup is the first offering, followed by Chili Beef Skewers. I’m thinking together they make a meal!

We are in luck whenever Garrison Keillor has a new posting. This one is about kids and pools and is a nice relaxing respite from the busyness of the day. Take time to read this stress reducer!

Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas has a humorous take on compost and why it is like a man. You must take a look if you want to get a good giggle, so slip on over via the link and do just that.

History of American Women focuses on North Carolina today and zeroes in on the colonial period. The first two colonies started by Raleigh failed, otherwise NC would have been the first of the permanent English colonies. Originally named for the French King, it became associated with Charles II later on. As always, Maggie does an excellent job in giving us this little biography of another of our states.

Ever wondered about Old Faithful and what makes her tick, or should I say spout? It turns out that the amount of rain affects the timing of her explosions. That was news to me, I thought it had to do with pressures and venting underground that had to do with magma and all that geological stuff. Live Science gives you the low down on this icon of Americana.

I’ve suggested to some of you that the evangelicals in America, the mainstream ones that is, are frankly tired of being yoked to the reactionary right and their two-issue campaign, abortion and gay rights. In a refreshing report, the NYTimes reports on these mainstream evangelicals and their determination: “Taking their Faith, but not their Politics to the People.” An excellent article you shouldn’t miss. Our thanks to Religion in American History for the heads up.

Here’s one of those great ideas that your kids might love and benefit from. Certainly this is also true of adults. UofM archaeology and members of the team from Israel are doing an excavation this summer. They plan to run a website that you can use to follow their progress as they examine the Tel Kedesh. What a wonderful educational tool for all of us, most of whom will never have the opportunity to join in a dig. Rogueclassicism provides all the information and the link and when the site will start up. Have fun.

This was one scandal I can tell you. The murder of Lana Turner’s gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanado in the late 50’s rocked Hollywood and even I recall it, though I was a mere child at the time, not even old enough to be in “love” with Troy Donahue yet. In any case, Scandalous Women brings us all the steamy, sexy, and hush hush details of the killing by Lana’s daughter, Cheryl. This is just the most fun to read about!

I am a fool when it comes to chocolate cake, and this recipe, well, it’s gonna be made very soon in the Peyton household I can tell ya. The idea of marrying chipotle with chocolate cake makes me swoon with delight. Simply Recipes has this one, so you can count on it! It’s Chipotle Flourless Chocolate Cake. Try it or you’ll be sorrrrry.

I enjoy cross stitch a lot, and am stuck on a Native American one now that I lost my way on and am rather off pattern on. I don’t know how it happened, I try to count carefully, but it did, and I haven’t touched it in more than a year, because I can’t face taking out so much of the threads to set it aright. I do get a lot of inspiration from Threads of Desirethough. She is simply a master stitcher and her stuff is beautiful to me. See what you think.

Uncommon Artistic Endeavors has a delicious sounding coffeecake for you. I love sweets for breakfast, though I tend to eat the same thing, day in and day out, peanut butter and toast. Maybe some french toast on Sunday, but that’s about it. This one looks easy and tasty and I’m sure to give it a try quite soon. Right after that decadent chocolate cake that is. Try the Cream Cheese Coffee Cake and see what you think.

US History Site Blog has an interesting report on the relationship between Martin L. King, jr and JFK during the 1960’s election. The actions of the Kennedy family to assist the King family during that time may have been an important reason that Kennedy ultimately beat Nixon. Nixon, on the advice of his handlers did nothing, while the Kennedy’s went out of their way to help the jailed King and his family.

Women in History reports that Australia has consecrated it’s first female bishop in Melbourne, Barbara Darling.  She is only the second woman so honored in Australia. This is to the Anglican faith of course, not Catholic, which still doggedly remains a male bastion, because, well, just because it’s always been that way.

World History Blog reports that Google Earth allows a lot of fun things, such as tracing the routes of Alexander the Great as he moved around the East and won battles and confiscated vast tracts of land. He also has some other suggestions and so stop by and take a look and get the instructions for how to do it.

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And now for something completely different:

If the sky is the limit, then what is space, over the limit?

Aren’t the ‘good things that come to those who wait’ just the leftovers from the people that got there first?

“Cute as a button” Is that supposed to be a compliment? Since when are buttons cute?

Are marbles made of marble?

Why did Yankee Doodle name the feather in his hat Macaroni?

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken over there … I’m gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt”?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Can you get cornered in a round room?

In that song, she’ll be coming around the mountain, who is she?

“Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman Hitler?”

Isn’t it funny how the word ‘politics’ is made up of the words ‘poli’ meaning ‘many’ in Latin, and ‘tics’ as in ‘bloodsucking creatures’?

That’s all folks!

Blinking Wide-eyed But Aloof

Tags

cross stitch, FCC, herbs, Human Biology, Iowa, Israel, McCain, Media, Middle East, Palestinians, philosophy, Putin, quilting, Regulatory agencies, religion, Russia, science, Veterans, WWII

This silver print by Lewis W. Hine is called “On the Bowery, New York City” and is from the MoMA. That’s some hat wouldn’t you say? 😮 ! Okay, not a hat. LOL.

On the homefront, we are drying out once again, but it’s slow. We can of course get out at this point with the trucks, but its soggy just everywhere you walk. And more rain seems to be in the offing. I wonder how the farmers are ever going to get the crops in this year. I think we got another two inches in the last storm. Enough already.

On the housecleaning front, the living room is done, and that makes six down and 1 1/2 to go. I actually did a bit in the kitchen and the Contrarianis taking out some things that I’ve declared for the trash. He also has come up with a really good redesign of our laundry/pantry room at the back door. We plan on doing some reorganizing that will make it more efficient and more storage compatible.

I’m brining a couple of chops for dinner and making a fettuccine Alfredovegetable casserole to go with it. A salad and vinaigrette dressing should round off the menu today. At least the sun is shining.

Let’s get on to today’s news:

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Today is the anniversary of the celebration of V-E Day, Victory in Europe in WWII. Germany had surrenderedthe previous day in 1945. As the years go by, fewer and fewer veterans from that war remain. It seems hard for me to internalize  this since I grew up with virtually all the men in my family being veterans. And I realize that nearly all of them are gone too.

I’ve been troubled by Israel for a few years now. I have begun to wonder at our absolute support at apparently all and any costs. I know this policy has had a lot to do with anti-American sentiments throughout much of the world, but certainly in the Middle East. I think that Israel does stray often beyond the bounds of rational action. I do think the Palestinians have a real point to make and have suffered immeasurably at the hands of the Israel. I have not reconciled any of this one way or another yet in my own mind. I know there are others who feel as I do. Mostly helpless. We wish to extend an olive branch to the Palestinians, yet not support violence directed at innocents. Read Alternet‘s fine article today entitled, ” Marketing Ethnic Cleansing: Israel Parties like it 1948 on its 60th Birthday,” and see if it helps you figure it all out.

I don’t know about you, but it’s been disheartening to see Russia slide from its infancy as a democratic state back down into the cesspool that is dictatorship. I think the flirt with Communism is gone, it’s just plain old dictatorship now. Putin hand picked his successor, who had NO political experience and is a whopping 34 years old or so. Putin is now firmly installed as Prime Minister and is the real power. Taking a page from Bush, Vlad has decided not to let a constitution stand in the way of his plans.

It seems Mr. McUntruth is suffering from senility again. He told a group in Michigan that he wanted to set up a task force to deal with the issue of human trafficking,most of whom end up in the sex trades. Problem was, such a task force already exists and has since 2000. Guess what? He voted against an earmark to fund this program in 2001. We thank Blue Girl, Red State for a heads up on this one.

Do you tend to see most issues as one or the other? Or are you inclined to see that there are usually multiple positions? Are you a decliner or a progressive? If you’re now totally confused, then slip by Britannica Blog and get unconfused. It’s how you view mankind mostly. Are we devolving ( not in a evolutionary sense) or evolving (in an evolutionary sense)?

Josie at C’est La Vie has a very interesting post about Synesthesia, the “condition” that allows some people to see color with numbers and well, feel color and sound unlike the rest of us. I’m wondering if proportionally, more artists are people like this or not. I’m wondering if it helps in cooking? I’m jealous I gotta tell you. I think it would be fun to experience. Alas, I do not.

Lynda at Essential Estrogen is back to  her old tricks. She is giving you another fine profile of a Democratic woman, Susan Radke,  running for the Iowa House, this time from District 10. If that is your district, then you should take a look and read about the candidates running. Lynda does a fine job of keeping us all informed on all things political in Iowa.

An excellent post by Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas today. It features herbs and explains in some detail what herbs go with what foods. That is a welcome help when you are trying to be inventive in your cooking and create your own dishes. It definitely helps to know which marry well  together. I grow fresh herbs every year, and for the first time managed to keep my rosemary and parsley growing indoors all winter!  I keep them close at hand, dotting them among the flowers. They are pretty in their own right, and you use them a lot more when they are a mere step or two away from the door.

Good news on veterans issues. The Bill sponsored by Jim Webb and co-sponsored by Rep. Sen. Hagel touted as the “new GI Bill” appears to be likely to pass in the House. Iowa Dems in the House are on record for it, including Boswell, Loebsack and Braley, as well as Republican Tom Latham. So even though McCain and Bush are against it, it seems it will be presented to the idiot for signing. If he has the guts to veto it, well bring it on I say. We’ll be watching to see if McCain backs down and votes the final bill up or down.

If there was any doubt that some in the GOP are certifiable, a quick look at Kathryn Jean Lopez’s article in the National Review, should remove all doubt. Touting her claim that Rush Limbaugh in fact helped John McCain by “screwing up the Democrats in Indiana” by his chaos plan, we learn that this type of tactic is to be applauded????? She sees this proof that the Limbaughs, Delays, and other wingnuts of the GOP still hold sway with the electorate. LOL…as if that is some good news? I’d say that the more that is proven true, the more determined the ENTIRE REST OF THE RATIONAL WORLD will be fighting to make them irrelevant. Damn the National Review for not having the guts to put up a comments section. They know better.  (She additionally brags at how good Republicans were in bringing Rev. Wright back to the fore to cast more dirt on Obama. One has to wonder just what country she thinks we are in. It’s nauseous.)

I am thoroughly disgusted with what passes for media in this country. I was one of those innocents who saw the advent of the 24-hour news shows  a wonderful thing. Plenty of in depth stories about far off places, far away problems, and those close to home. Plenty of coverage (in depth again) of politicians and policies and bills and whatnot. I got instead, fluff, and high speed chases down our nations highways, lurid murder cases, and nothing else much.  What passes these days for journalism on the tube is reduced to 1 minute soundbites that seem interested in only the shocking. No thought required. The rest apparently is recopied from briefs available on the wire services. And our regulatory agency, the FCC? Oh it’s squarely in the corner of the conglomerates out there who gobble up more and more of the competition, so they  can work even less hard at real journalism. It sucks big time. Read more at The Nation.

The Village Shop has some more tutorial on making a quilt. Lots of pictures and easy to follow commentary will be most helpful if you are fairly new to quilting. I don’t consider myself such, but I can always use a tip or two. I’ve learned by trial and error that seam allowances are critical, ironing seams is essential and pinning exact points means you can end up with a quilt you can smile at.

Threads of Desire is working on a Hawaiian Mandala, and you just have to see it to believe it. Her cross stitch is so beautiful. I don’t know what size count she is working on, but its so far beyond what I can do that I just drool with envy. I truly think this is magnificent art work. I wish I had someone who could teach me how to do this. Take a look.

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“I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.” Garrison Keillor

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Philip K. Dick

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” Hunter S. Thompson

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Excuses! When stopped by the police say this:

I was trying to keep up with traffic. Yes, I know there are not other cars around, that’s how far ahead they are!

im sorry officer…i just got breast implants and wearing a seatbelt hurts…

“But Officer, I couldn’t have been driving 60 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone. I haven’t been driving for an hour!”

Sorry officer, I was trying to kill a bug under my gas pedal

I’m sorry I was speeding officer but I have diarrhea.

Yes, I know I was speeding, but I thought I recognized you as the guy who took my ex-wife from me. I thought you were going to give her back!

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Hey, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. Now, if you haven’t gotten your mom a gift yet, can’t go wrong with a gallon of gasoline, huh? It’s a little pricey, but, hey, you only got one mom, you know? Jay Leno

Irvine Robbins, co founder of Baskin-Robbins, is dead at 90. Details of his cremation have been finalized. His remains will be sprinkled, but the sprinkles cost 50 cents extra. – Alan Ray, Stockton, Calif.

One of the planners for a Bible-themed amusement park in Rutherford County, Tennessee has admitted that he once worked as a Penthouse magazine photographer. That could explain why so many women end up with wet T-shirts on the Parting of the Red Sea ride. Paul Seaburn